Many devices have been proposed for helping to prevent laces of shoes from loosening and untying during use. Curry U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,539, issued in 1992, shows disk-form fasteners having spaced-apart holes with cuts or slots connecting with the holes for capturing the lace ends, assertedly avoiding the need then to tie the lace ends with any knot. Epstein U.S. Pat. No. 3,066,370 is similar and suggests multiple slots; Osterholt U.S. Pat. No. 1,531,410 uses angled slots for the same purpose. Torelli U.S. Pat. No. 2,650,399 and Burton U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,172 use only holes and no slots. Lofy U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,482 and Bennett U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,508 use complex tying arrangements and devices to avoid loosening of laces; Walls U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,787 uses Velcro.TM.-type straps and offers space for a printed logo.
Flat shoe laces have now been replaced by round ones, and cotton materials by polyester and other synthetic materials with slippery surfaces. These newer laces are more difficult to keep tied, regardless of tightness and skill used in tying them.
Athletic games and events at all levels are still very often interrupted or delayed for participants to re-tie or tighten laces on their shoes. A need still exists for a simple, always-effective way of avoiding repeated loosening of shoe laces, particularly for instance in athletic events involving extensive footwork such as basketball, soccer, marathons, field hockey, lacrosse, and the like, but also for dress shoes, casual shoes, work boots, children's shoes, and the like.